


An Expected Conversation

by CountDorku



Series: Burning Bright [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Angst, Gen, Past Abuse, Past Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26378527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountDorku/pseuds/CountDorku
Summary: Adora has to have a serious talk with her and Glimmer's adopted daughter, Tigara.
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Burning Bright [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917037
Comments: 11
Kudos: 16





	An Expected Conversation

“Mama Adora?”

Adora heard the note in Tigara’s voice and steeled herself. She’d known this conversation was coming. She’d gone over a hundred scenarios with Glimmer, tried to figure out how they’d have this talk.

None of them had been conclusive.

“Yes, kitten?” she said, keeping her tone light.

Tigara, who had grown enough to start schooling, looked so much like an orange version of Catra it was a little disconcerting at times. Even though her hair was kept in long braids, rather than Catra’s trademark mane, there were still so many memories that Tigara’s appearance stirred up, and so many of them were bad.

“You said we’d talk later about…Catra.” Tigara’s jaw stuck out pugnaciously. “It’s later.”

“…All right.” Adora took a deep breath. “She…was my best friend when I was a child. When I…met Mama Glimmer, we kind of…broke up? We fought for a while, and then we tried to rebuild it later, but…sometimes things break so badly that they can’t be put back together the way they were. We moved on, grew apart.” Now came the tough part. “When she had you, she…brought her to us, and asked us to take you in.” That wasn’t _strictly_ accurate, but it sounded better than _she left you in the nursery with a sad note and disappeared without talking to anyone_.

“But why? Didn’t she love-”

“Hey!” Adora scooped up her adoptive daughter and held her close. “I know her better than anyone. _Never_ doubt that she loves you. But…” She took a deep breath. “She was scared.”

“Of me?”

“Of herself.” She closed her eyes as she fumbled for the right words. “Sometimes people…hurt the ones they love. She…Catra…She was worried she’d hurt you.” _Like she hurt me_. “She wanted you to have the best childhood she could find for you…she just…didn’t think she should be part of it.”

“But that’s…” Tigara’s vocabulary failed her, and she managed, “Not fair!”

“I know, kitten. I know.” She gave Tigara an extra-protective squeeze. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this, Tigara. I really am. But remember: Catra loves you, and Glimmer loves you, and I love you.” She took a deep breath. “And, Tigara? I haven’t told Lunata or Stellara about this…but I’ve been through a bit of what you’re dealing with myself.”

“You have?”

“I don’t like to talk about it. But…I was taken from my family, as a baby. I tried to learn what happened to them…and I never found any answers.” She felt a hint of moisture on her cheek. “I know what it’s like to have something that should be a huge part of your life, but it’s never actually there and nobody tells you about it. It sucks, and I’m sorry. I’m…doing what I can, okay?”

“Okay, Mama Adora. Okay.”

After about a year, Adora let go. “Do you feel…better?”

“A little, I guess.” Tigara smiled sadly. “I…wanna know more about her.”

“There’s…some stuff you’re not old enough to hear about,” Adora told her. “But I’ll tell you what I can, all right? I just have to take care of one or two things first. Meet me in the library in an hour?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good.” Adora patted her adoptive daughter on the shoulder. “Now go play with Lunata and Stellara, okay? Stellara’s probably found a cool frog or something in the creek.”

“She’s good at that.”

Adora gave Tigara one more hug, and then rose and headed back into the castle.

Glimmer was there, fresh from her queenly duties, looking tired. Adora kissed her on the cheek and said, “Rough day at the office?”

Glimmer groaned. “The Plumerian and Salinean delegates are arguing again.”

“You’d think that Salineas would be more grateful after Plumeria put so much effort into helping rebuild.”

“It’s just wounded pride. Salineas being the only major kingdom to actually _fall_ during Hordak’s onslaught means they think they have a bit of ground to make up.” Glimmer smiled wearily. “So they keep doing pointless posturing nonsense to prove they’re tougher than a kingdom with a nationally-sponsored curriculum in flower arranging.”

“They could at least be picking a fight with Redthrone, or something.” The rough kingdom that had been built in the Crimson Wastes was young, but it was growing rapidly – and Huntara, of all people, was apparently doing surprisingly well as a queen. Rumour had it she had a mysterious new advisor who was helping her unify the squabbling raider gangs.

“I know, right?” Glimmer shook her head. “So how about your day? Thanks for looking after the kids.”

“I needed to have…you know, the Talk.”

Glimmer’s eyes twinkled impishly. “Tigara asked where babies come from?”

“One specific baby.”

“Oh.” Glimmer’s mood immediately dropped ten points, and she said softly, “What did you tell her?”

“The truth – at least, as much as I could. No need to dwell on…”

“Yeah.”

“So I’m gonna send Catra a message. I need to tell her some stuff. Then I’m meeting Tigara in the library.”

“You go send your message; I’ll go wait in the library. I’m her mom, too.”

“That brings her up to three, right?” said Adora, forcing a smile. She broke off, headed up to the transmitter table in the anachronistically-named War Room and set it to record.

“Catra, I…I had to tell Tigara about you today. Catra…I know you left her with us because you wanted what was best for her. But right now, I think what would be best for her is _having you in her life_. Please, just…come to Brightmoon, once. She needs to know that you had a reason.”

She hit Send and turned to head for the library. Hopefully she and Glimmer could at least figure out some way to make the whole story suitable for a child.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't _officially_ part of my friend Athetos's _[I Thought I Wanted This](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24865447)_ universe, but that fic did sort of inspire me, and it is _absolutely_ worth a read if you haven't given it one yet.


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